It Will All Get Better
by potterfreek09
Summary: "Harry's eyes fluttered open to a pair of light brown eyes gazing down at him alarmingly."  Rating may change to M later
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic so I hope you all enjoy! And I fixed the paragraphs!

DC: I do not own Harry Potter.

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><p><strong>Realization<strong>

Ginny watched as Voldemort tumbled to the ground. It seemed to go on forever before the crowd cheered and rushed forward to hug, touch or even receive a glance from the boy who lived, the chosen one. Ginny wanted so much to do the same. To just be with Harry after everything that had happened. They both had lost friends and family, classmates and strangers to Voldemort and his Death Eaters but now it was all over.

Her feet felt glued to the floor as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. It had been a while since she had last cried and she tried to stem the flow. She had to remain strong for Harry; he had been through enough and didn't need to deal with her. She shut her eyes tightly, took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes only to see Harry pushing his way through the crowd of people towards her.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her into his, wrapping her tightly in his warmth. Ginny wrapped her arms around him, leaning against his chest, and just stood there. After a minute, Harry pulled her back and looked into her still tearful eyes. He ran a hand down her jaw line making her tremble from his touch. She knew she loved him with her entire heart and as he leaned down to kiss her fiercely, she knew she never wanted to leave him. When their lips parted, Harry smiled and glanced around the wreckage that was the Great Hall. His smile faded as he took everything in and Ginny felt his arms slip away from her as he fell to the ground, the enormity of the events of the past few hours finally catching up to him.

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><p>Harry's eyes fluttered open to a pair of light brown eyes gazing down at him alarmingly.<p>

"Mum! He's awake!" Ginny yelled still looking at Harry, her gaze turning from alarmed to relaxed and finally to a breathtaking smile. In just a few seconds, Harry heard multiple pairs of feet trampling up the stairs of the Burrow. He carefully turned his pounding head toward the door just in time to see the anxious faces of Ron and Hermione. Tears were falling down Hermione's face upon seeing Harry alert for the first time in a week.

"Watch out, watch out! Harry needs some food to get his energy back up," Mrs. Weasley said as she squeezed between Ron and Hermione to get through the doorway laden with a tray of toast, tea and something that smelled heavily of pepper and which Harry soon found out was pepper-up potion when Mrs. Weasley put a spoonful of it into Harry's open mouth. Scrunching up his face and swallowing the disgusting potion, Harry realized that Ginny had retreated to the back of the room when Mrs. Weasley had sat down beside him. Looking back at Mrs. Weasley, he noticed her eyes were red and swollen. She had been crying and it looked as though she had been for quite a long time. She gave Harry a sad smile, hugged him tight and then left the room quickly muttering on her way out "Make sure you eat all of that."

Harry looked to the faces of his friends who were still standing in the doorway. They came farther into the room with the same sad smile that Mrs. Weasley had when she left the room seconds before. They all sat in silence for a few minutes before Ron finally spoke.

"Everyone says it's over but there is still so much to do," Tears fell down Harry's face at Ron's words for the first time since the battle ended and he knew he would not be able to stop them. He had remained strong for everyone but it was finally his turn to just stop and feel again. Get rid of the numbness that had started once he had entered Hogwarts through the Hog's Head. They had lost so many and even though he could see that he had both of his best friends and the girl he loved right in front of him, he felt for the other losses of the Wizarding World.

Thinking about Mrs. Weasley, with her eyes red and swollen from crying, he couldn't believe he could be so selfish. Ron and Ginny had just lost one of their brothers and all he could do was lie in this bed and cry. His head was still pounding but he sat up, a little dizzy, and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He must have swayed a little because Ginny had rushed from the corner that she had been standing in to sit beside him on the bed, her arm around his back. Sighing, he placed his head in his hands and willed himself to stop crying, but feeling Ginny there, rubbing his back in small circles, her other hand resting lightly on his arm, comforting him, when he should be the one comforting her made him cry more.

"Damn it!" he yelled, standing up quickly and he knew, startling everyone in the room, "I cannot be doing this! Ron's right! There is so much more to do! We have to get back out there and find the rest of the Death Eaters that escaped!" Everyone looked at Harry, shocked and perhaps a little worried at his reaction.

"Harry, please sit down and rest for a while longer. We have time to find those who have escaped and the Ministry is already looking," Ginny gently tried pulling Harry back onto the bed but all she received was and angry glance from Harry as he turned around ready to retort. He opened his mouth to ask her how she could even trust the Ministry, now of all times, when she continued to talk as though he had not even looked at her, "You have been out for a week; a lot has happened. The Ministry is now being run by Kingsley Shacklebolt. We all trust him to figure this mess out Harry. And in the mean time, we all just need to figure out what to do with ourselves. Possibly help here for a while. You saw mum. She hasn't slept since the battle and now with dad working overtime at the ministry to try and fix both the Ministry and Hogwarts so students can return next year she doesn't know what to do. George has also been missing since the battle. We are not sure where he is but we all are worried. We know he's just as upset as us because of Fred and probably more so because they were twins but Harry, we can't just go back out and find the Death Eaters. Think of all the people here who just need to see you, need to know that you are okay and that this was all real."

Harry had sat back down on the bed and looked to Ron who had Hermione's head resting against his shoulder, tears still pouring down Hermione's face and Ron trying to hold his back.

He looked back at Ginny and took her face in his hands. He loved looking into her eyes. Their light brown intensity made him melt because he saw the love that she had for him even though he had just given her a piercing glare just a few seconds ago. She was right. He couldn't just leave again. People here needed him.

Ron and Hermione had seen him dead just a week ago and so did this beautiful woman that he was looking at in that very moment. It would take time to figure out what he needed to do but right now, he could be with the people he loved and help them with their losses just like they helped him every time he had lost someone in the past few years. It wasn't as though he hadn't lost anyone this time. Fred was like a brother to him just like the rest of the Weasley's all seemed like family.

He brought himself back from his thoughts and gently kissed her lips, releasing her and standing up again. He went over to Ron and Hermione and hugged them both. They were the best friends he could have ever hoped for. He let them go and faced everyone in the room.

"How about going downstairs to get some real breakfast?" He asked everyone as he wiped his tears from his face with his sleeve. Looking down at himself, he realized he was in pajamas and probably needed to change, "Or how about I change and meet you in the kitchen for some real breakfast?"

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><p><strong>Authors Notes<strong>

Give me your feedback on my first attempt at writing after reading so many fanfics!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!

DC: I do not own Harry Potter.

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><p><strong>Decisions<strong>

Following Harry's advice, Ginny made her way down to the kitchen to wait for him with Ron and Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was busying herself so as not to look unhappy in front of everyone, but Ginny saw through it and she had for a week. Not only had she been busy dealing with Mrs. Weasley forcing herself to remain happy for her family's sake, she had also cried herself to sleep every night listening to Harry, who had been in the room directly across from hers. Mr. Weasley had added another room so that if Harry awoke during the night, Mrs. Weasley or himself would be able to bring him what he needed in a hurry.

Almost every night Harry had some sort of dream that made him scream in fright and sometimes Ginny could hear him flailing in his bed. It broke her heart to hear him like that when for so long he had remained strong for everyone else.

The first night it had happened Ginny had gone in his room to try and calm him and instead she had received a black eye and a few bruises with how hard he had been flinging his arms through the air. She had resulted to just sleeping on his floor that night hoping that maybe her presence would keep him sleeping rather than fighting his dreams. After he had calmed that night, she had held his hand until morning when Mrs. Weasley had come in to check on Harry and found her daughter on the floor with a black eye.

Even though Mrs. Weasley knew that Ginny cared for Harry deeply, she could not have her daughter being beaten up, even if it was accidentally. Ginny had been forced to stay in her room since. She felt helpless as she listened to him the rest of the week, knowing she could do nothing to help him without upsetting someone else.

"How long does it take someone to get changed?" Ron asked as Mrs. Weasley set a plate of bacon on the table.

"It's only been about five minutes, Ron. He is probably still in pain from last week. Just eat and hopefully he will be down soon," Mrs. Weasley informed Ron and placed still more food upon the table.

"Molly!" a voice yelled from the living room and Mrs. Weasley dropped the basket of biscuits that she was carrying onto the counter and ran to the see what the matter was.

Ginny followed behind her mother and saw her father's head in the fireplace. Hoping there was some news about George's whereabouts or that more Death Eaters had been captured. She sat in an armchair and listened to her parents' conversation.

"Molly, the Minister will be coming home with me today. He wants to talk to the children about plans for the future. Has Harry awoken yet?"

"Yes Arthur. He woke up this morning while Ginny was sitting with him. Why would Kingsley be coming so soon after everything? Why can't he wait a little longer to give everyone more time to heal? You of all people should know that we all still need time."

"I know, and I tried to tell him this as well but he needs to know what Harry, Ron and Hermione would like to do before the Ministry opens the options to the rest of the wizarding community."

"Why would they need to do that?"

"The wizarding community takes to heart what those three do. Harry just got rid of you-Know-Who a week ago along with so much help from Ron and Hermione for about a year. People want to know that it is ok to go on with life if they do. They can't hide and mourn forever Molly," Mr. Weasley sighed and continued, "Everyone lost a lot, yes but we also gained a lot as well. We gained the ability to not be frightened anymore when we walk outside, or to have to worry if we will ever see our children again when they go to school. Not to mention, they may have to think about it for a while before they make their final decision. I will be home shortly and then, after the Minister leaves, I am able to take the rest of the day off. Kingsley mentioned that I look like I need a break and I am going to take him up on that offer. I love you Molly. You too Ginny,"

"Love you too dad," Ginny said getting up from the armchair and heading back to the kitchen. On her way out she heard Mrs. Weasley ask "Any news of George?"

"No Molly. If I do hear anything you know I would tell you straight away."

"I know. I just can't stop worrying."

"He will turn up on his own time. I will be home shortly." Ginny heard Mrs. Weasley sigh and her footsteps coming towards the kitchen. Ginny sat down near the window to look out at the beautiful day. She ate a few pieces of toast and bacon, still waiting for Harry.

It had been about fifteen minutes since she had left his room and still he had not made it down to breakfast. As Mrs. Weasley started telling Ron and Hermione that the Minister was coming to talk to them shortly, Ginny excused herself to go and find Harry.

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><p>Still not changed, Harry sat on his bed continuing to think. Yes, he had told Ginny that everything would get better and he needed to be strong but how could he do that? How could he remain strong now when all he wanted to do was stay hidden from everyone?<p>

Never before did he feel that he just needed to stop and breakdown but that is exactly what he wanted and needed. He had saved the Wizarding World too many times and didn't want to continue to be the poster boy for the Ministry which was exactly what was going to happen. He wanted to spend time with the people he cared about. Was that so hard to ask for? He didn't think so. He needed the Weasley's. They were his support system and he needed them as much or maybe even more than they needed him.

He heard footsteps and immediately and stripped off his shirt to make it look as though he had at least been trying to change. It had been a very bad idea. His arms were completely stiff and it hurt to lift his arms higher than his shoulders. There was a soft knock on the door and not being able to move very easily he just said "Come in."

"I just wanted to know...where...you had ...gone to," Ginny had walked into the room and froze just inside the doorway. Harry could see her mouth starting to form a smile, but she kept trying to hide it by looking at the floor, and the wall, and pretty much anywhere but at Harry who could still not lower his arms or raise them any higher. Thinking about how he must look at that moment, Harry started to chuckle at himself.

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and laugh. Though afterwards, I need help."

Ginny couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into gales of laughter. "I'm s-so sorry Harry! What happened?"

"Lots of pain and I just found out trying to get this shirt off. I can't raise my arms any farther because it hurts too much," Harry said still attempting to get the shirt off without hurting himself anymore, but failing.

Ginny's laughing was subsiding to a few giggles every few seconds, and she was able to walk to where Harry was standing. She gave him a quizzical look as if to say 'How the hell did you get into this position,' and attempted to grab the shirt and yank.

Harry yelled in pain as his arms seized up more and Ginny stopped pulling.

"There's not much more we can do except force your arms up to get the shirt off. You also have to manage to get another one on. We could also just cut it off but that would be a little extreme," Ginny told Harry wincing at the thought of how much this was going to hurt him.

"Ok, on the count of three I'm just going to pull. Ready? One...two...three!" Harry braced himself as Ginny grabbed his arms, forcing them up and pulled the shirt off as fast as she could.

"ARGHH!" Harry yelled as his arms fell to his sides and he began rubbing them willing the pain to subside.

Ginny had frozen again, but this time Harry noticed, she was blushing and staring at him. He smiled and stepped towards her, making her look away and blush even more furiously. She looked adorable and Harry wrapped his still aching arms around her, pulling her taut against his body. She brought her hands up to rest on his chest and looked up at him. The both stood their looking into each other's eyes and Harry found that he could not restrain himself any longer.

He leaned down and kissed her passionately bringing his hands slowly up her body, tracing all of her extraordinary curves and eventually tangling in her fire red hair. Ginny had moved her hands to wrap around his neck, bringing him in as close as she could get him. Harry loved what she did to his body, even if she didn't notice it. He could feel his heart racing due to the fact that this was the first time that either of them had experienced each other like this.

Back at Hogwarts during Harry's sixth year, Ginny was alright with kissing but it had been nothing like this. This kiss was so much more. He could feel the love and passion radiating off of her and wanted the kiss to last forever.

He traced her lips with his tongue willing her to let him have more. Harry felt her smile slightly before opening her mouth to give him access when a voice from downstairs called to them.

"Ginny, Harry! The Minister will be here shortly! Get down here!" It was Mrs. Weasley.

Harry reluctantly pulled away from Ginny breathing a little faster than he should have been and gazed at her longingly. She smiled up at him and stepped away heading for the door.

"I'll meet you downstairs," Ginny whispered to him and Harry noticed that she was still trying to catch her breath as she wandered back down the hallway. He grabbed a button up shirt from the few that Mrs. Weasley had brought him and finished dressing before heading to the kitchen, his spirits much higher.

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><p>She couldn't believe what had just happened. Ginny had to stop halfway down the stairs to slow her heart from what had just happened. Harry had never kissed her like that and Ginny wasn't sure how to react at the moment. How was she going to act normally around everyone knowing what had just happened?<p>

It was wonderful and she would gladly do it again but her mum on the other hand would not be very pleased that both her and Harry had done even that in her house. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and continued down to the kitchen.

"What happened up there Ginny and why was Harry yelling like that? I was about to come up," Mrs. Weasley said glancing up from the laundry she was folding.

"You were right mum. He's in a lot of pain and because his arms are in so much pain, he had gotten stuck in his night shirt. I had to force his arms up before it would come off and as you heard, it wasn't too nice," Ginny started chuckling again as well as Ron who happened to think that his best friend stuck in a shirt would definitely be funny. Hermione on the other hand, did not find it funny at all and started crying again.

Ron and Ginny both were startled and before Ron could put a comforting arm around her, Mrs. Weasley had hopped up and gave Hermione an enormous hug which only made them both start crying harder.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley! Sometimes I don't even know why I am crying anymore. One of my best friends was in that much pain and even though Ginny was there to help him, it hurts me to even think of him still being in pain after all he has gone through!"

"I know Hermione, and you don't ever have to apologize for caring this deeply. It hurts me just as much since I see you both as my own children," At these words, Mrs. Weasley let go of Hermione, walked to the other side of the room and stared at the kitchen wall.

Ginny knew that she had just thought of Fred and had started to cry harder. She hadn't wanted anyone to see anymore of her tears so she had resorted to staring at that wall. Ginny had noticed this since her mother came into the kitchen to do this often.

Harry had finally made his way downstairs and stopped in the kitchen doorway looking from Mrs. Weasley to Ginny. She gave him a sad smile and he gave a short nod, knowing what had happened. He sat down beside her and took a little bit of everything.

Ginny watched him, knowing that he really didn't want to eat it, but since it was Harry, he was going to eat as much as he could so to at least make her mother a little happier.

A faint pop from the back door announced the arrival of Mr. Weasley and the Minister. Mrs. Weasley quickly dried her tears on the hem of her apron and went to the sink to make it look as though she had been doing something.

Mr. Weasley went to his wife and gave her a loving hug and kissed her cheek. Kingsley stood just inside the doorway gazing at the couple who had lost one of their children a week ago. Harry got up from his seat beside Ginny to greet the new Minister of Magic for the first time.

"It's nice to see you again Minister," He said tersely knowing why Kingsley was there.

"Harry, you know me. You can call me Kingsley. I just have some decisions to discuss with you, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. Arthur, can we use the front room?"

"Of course Kinglsey," Mr. Weasley said continuing to comfort his wife by the sink.

"Miss Weasley, you are free to join us as well," Kingsley spoke to Ginny for the first time and led the way to the living room.

They all followed and sat wherever they could find room. Harry had sat beside Ginny who had decided to take a corner of the couch. He grabbed her hand and smiled at her before Kingsley started. She smiled back and hoped that this was going to go well.

"This probably seems like a very indecent time to call upon all of you but as most people are willing to listen to you three," Kingsley said pointing to Harry, Ron and Hermione, "More than they will listen to me at the moment, I need to give you some options for your future. Seeing as you three have managed magic beyond most wizards and witches your age, the Ministry has decided to let you have free reign over what you would like to do next," Ginny felt Harry's hand squeeze hers even though he was looking from Ron to Hermione and back to Kingsley.

"What do you mean Kingsley?" Harry asked, not quite sure what "free reign" actually meant in the eyes of the Ministry.

"Since none of you have completed your seventh year at Hogwarts, the Ministry would normally have you just come back and finish that last year. Due to this not being normal circumstances, we have agreed to allow you to decide if you would either like to continue with your education or go straight into you professional careers without N.E.W.T.s. I'm sorry Miss Weasley but you will have to go into your final year at Hogwarts,"

"That's fine. I was planning to go back anyway. I'm still not sure what I would like to do yet and having that guidance at Hogwarts will help me to decide," Ginny stated, smiling at the Minister.

"This is all up to you three. We also would like to place your decisions in the Prophet to reassure the public that it is alright to go on living. Many people do not want to have their children leave in a few months for another year at Hogwarts but it is the best anyone can do. There are only a handful of Death Eaters left and we want people to have normality restored to their lives,"

"So, like I thought, you want us to be spokes people for the community," Harry said nonchalantly though Ginny noticed the tension that had become more apparent in his body than before.

"For now Harry, yes. I know Scrimgeour did this as well, but his purposes were incorrect. He wanted to use you to lift the Ministry higher, but Harry, people have stopped living. They have hidden and do not want to come out. Here you are, finally awake after only a week since Voldemort's downfall and you are happily holding your girlfriends hand. We need the community to do this as well. We will only recover from so many terrifying years as a whole if there is someone so important who can do the same," Kingsley finished and looked at all of them as silence descended on them while they thought about his words.

Hermione was the first to break the silence, "Can we have some time to think about this? Our decision is going to affect not only each of us separately but apparently also the entire wizarding world so we should probably take our time."

"Of course you can Miss Granger. I would have expected nothing less from you. I'll show my way out and as soon as you have made your decision, please send me an owl. I will come by to set everything up. Have a lovely day," Kingsley went to the kitchen, said goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and left.

Ginny glanced around at the trio who were still contemplating silently.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them!

DC: I do not own Harry Potter though I wish I did!

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><p><strong>Surprises<strong>

Over the next few weeks, Harry was very quiet, always contemplating what he was going to do, the pros and cons of returning to Hogwarts and the same for going straight to the Ministry to be trained as an Auror.

If he were to return to Hogwarts, he would be able to become more knowledgeable before training as an Auror which may give him an advantage since everyone else would have that schooling as well. He would also have Ginny there which was a plus in his mind no matter what.

The problems he could face though if he went back to Hogwarts would be that he would once again be stared at and questioned the entire year, just like back in his first year at Hogwarts. He believed that if he really wanted to return to Hogwarts, this was one obstacle he could overcome.

Heading straight to Auror training would make him the youngest to go through training for that program. Once again he would be facing the staring and questions though these ones would probably be based on the more technical aspect of how he defeated Voldemort. He couldn't win on that one. Another plus was that he could afford to get his own place without having to delve too deeply into the savings he still had from his parents and Sirius.

He also wouldn't have to live at Grimmauld Place at all and he wouldn't have to bother the Weasley's for a place to stay for a while. He thought about it a little longer and realized that he would be able to have a place where Ginny could come and stay with his for a while when she needed to get away or when they just needed each other.

This was going to be a tough choice for Harry. He had grown up enough while on the run from the Death Eaters that he really didn't need Hogwarts but so far, it seemed as though it was the better choice, to take a kind of break and just hang out with his friends but it would also be tough since he had lost so many people he cared about in those halls and he knew he would be reminded of that every time he would walk into the great hall. It would be a long time before he healed completely.

Thinking of what his friends may do Harry chucked to himself. He could see Hermione going back to Hogwarts thinking she needed to learn more before going on with her career which was probably correct but, it's Hermione. She could do it without going back but he knew she wouldn't.

Ron was a little more difficult to figure out. If Hermione and himself were to go back, he was certain that Ron would as well, just to be close to his friends. What if he didn't though? Ron hated the work involved with school and so did Harry but he had a feeling that Ron would not want to continue with his education, opting to go straight to his career.

By the time June rolled around, Harry took to helping the Weasley's clear out gnomes from the garden, clean out the shed that held all of their brooms which was quite eventful as some of the spiders in there were enormous and Ron always stood about ten feet from the shed at any given time. At one point, Harry had pretended to throw a spider in Ron's direction, sending him running into the house, not to come back for about an hour. Harry, Ginny and Hermione had collapsed laughing and had to take several minutes to calm themselves before they were able to continue working.

It was nice to keep busy so their minds had little time to think about the past. There were times when it would overwhelm them in the evenings when they had dinner with the rest of the Weasley's minus George since they still had not heard anything from him.

At night was when Harry could think about his decision for his future. Mr. Weasley had told the trio that the Minister would be around the first of July, which gave them ample time to make their decisions. It would then be announced to the wizarding world via WWN. He had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted to do and had talked with Ginny about it several times. They had spent plenty of time together over the past month and Harry had enjoyed every minute of it. Even the parts when he had broken down. It was nice to know that he had been having fewer and fewer of those, except in his dreams when he still woke up screaming and drenched in sweat.

When he had first told her, he could see that she was surprised and even a little confused. Ginny had come to see him before she went to bed when he had told her. He had been sitting on his bed in his pajamas when she came in and smiled at him, making his heart swell with how beautiful she looked, even in the sweats she liked to wear to bed.

"Ginny, what is your opinion on going back to Hogwarts or going straight into training?"

"That's really not anything for me to say Harry. I can't be one to even give you opinions because you know what I am going to say. You need to make yourself happy rather than worrying about everyone else. Try thinking about which you would want to do and what is going to make your life the best it can be," Harry was dumbfounded. He thought at least Ginny would tell him to stay with her at Hogwarts but obviously she didn't mind where he went.

Yeah she did. She sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. She does care. Harry could see that after a few minutes of thinking. She cared about him so much, she didn't want their relationship to get in the way of his important decision and Harry was positive that if she had just said for him to go to Hogwarts, he would have. No questions asked.

"I'm going to go into training," he said plainly, twisting his body a bit and wrapping his arms around her middle. She nuzzled into him more and smiled.

"I figured but I could hope anyway. You will be a great auror, Harry. Just don't let anything get in your way'"

Harry looked down and saw that Ginny had closed her eyes and she was starting to drift off to sleep. He smiled and gently shook her.

"Don't fall asleep silly. You need to get back to your room before your mother comes in here."

He smiled again when Ginny opened one of her eyes, smirked and shook her head. Surprised, Harry shrugged his shoulders and kissed her head, smelling the lovely essence that was Ginny.

"Then at least lay down. And if your mother comes in, I had nothing to do with this." Harry kissed her again and lay down, pulling her next to him.

"She doesn't check up on me anymore and I am pretty sure she hasn't woken anyone up in the a very long time. Besides, Hermione hasn't slept in my room for three days so you can guess where she's been and mum hasn't said anything. That leads me to believe she either doesn't know or she doesn't care."

"Does that mean that you don't need to be in your room for three days either? Cause I'm alright with this," Harry heard Ginny chuckle and nod her head. He pulled her closer and they drifted to sleep. That was the first night that Harry's dreams were filled with Ginny rather than the horrors of battle and because of her presence, he was able to finally get a great night's sleep.

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><p>It was early morning when Mrs. Weasley left her bed to check on her children. She hadn't done this for a while and was angry with herself for wallowing in her sorrows. Yes, she had lost one of her sons but she knew that he would just want her to continue with her life. The same with everyone else and that was what she was going to do starting now.<p>

The first room she came to was Ginny's. She opened the door, fully expecting to see her daughter huddled under her covers and Hermione on the spare bed they had placed in Ginny's room. To her surprise, she found that neither of them was there.

She gasped and then began to panic. Where had they gone? Were they alright? Had they left like George, not to be seen again for who knows how long? Frantically she pushed the door to Harry's room open and instantly relaxed. Why had she not expected that? Of course Ginny was alright. She looked at her daughter who was smiling in her sleep with Harry Potter's are draped across her waist and smiled as well. It wasn't ideal that she had caught her daughter sleeping with a boy, no, young man but at least she knew that this young man would take great care of her daughter.

She quietly closed the door and knew exactly where she would find Hermione. She crept up the stairs to her youngest sons room, opened the door fully expecting to see Hermione in Ron's arms but what she also noticed was something that she would rather not have known. On the floor next to Ron's bed was a t-shirt and sweats that Ginny had let Hermione borrow along with a pair of panties and at the foot of the bed, she saw a pink and white bra.

Mrs. Weasley gasped and shut the door quickly. Hands clasped over her mouth, she went back down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. There were some things that a mother never needed to know. Seeing Harry and Ginny was quite adorable but seeing Hermione and Ron with that evidence all around made her shiver and she hoped that Ron or at the very least, Hermione would be smart about what they were doing.

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><p>Ginny woke up and felt a light breeze tickling the back of her neck. She carefully turned over and looked at the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on and what made it better was that this amazing person was holding her. It felt great to be in Harry's arms and Ginny was glad that she had him all to herself. She snuggled closer to him and felt his arms tighten around her as his eyes fluttered open.<p>

"Morning," Harry murmured groggily.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Ginny asked, brushing his bangs from his face.

"Of course I did. I had you with me all night," Harry smiled and leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. Ginny loved that she was so happy just being here beside him. She hadn't been this happy in a long time and she hoped he was as well.

"On a different note, I think your mum saw us this morning. Unless I was just dreaming."

"What?" Ginny sat up so quickly her head smashed into Harry's nose making him yelp with pain. "What do you mean she saw us? We are going to be in so much trouble! And if she tells dad, oh no, you will be in more trouble than me!" She grabbed her hair in her fists, got out of the bed and scampered back to her own room.

What had she been thinking? She couldn't just sleep with Harry in her parents' house. They were bound to find out but then again, her mother hadn't checked up on her since the battle. She truly didn't think she would have had to worry about it.

Ginny was changing into a light purple v-neck shirt and dark jeans for the day when she thought about Hermione. Well, if mum had checked on her and Harry, she was bound to notice Hermione wasn't there. That also meant that she would have found her in Ron's room and Ginny was pretty sure that they were not just sleeping like her and Harry had been. At least they weren't going to be in that much trouble.

Ginny made her way to the kitchen where her mum was making breakfast and listening to WWN. She smiled since her mum had not done this in such a long time. She hoped that maybe, her mum was getting back to being herself or at least getting through her mourning period.

"Good morning, Gin. Sleep well last night?" Mrs. Weasley said, turning to smile at Ginny while cooking some delicious smelling bacon.

"Really well, mum," She couldn't even look at her mum for fear of blushing.

"Well, you looked comfortable," Ginny did flush then but kept her head down, waiting for her mother to start on her, but Mrs. Weasley didn't say anything else on the subject other than, "Is Harry coming down soon? Oh! There you are dear," She turned again as Harry came into the kitchen and took a seat beside Ginny, kissing her in the process. Ginny was quite taken aback as this had been the first time they had shown any affection towards each other in the presence of either of her parents, "Arthur wanted me to tell you that the minister will be here next week and to make sure that you had made your decision."

"'Thanks Mrs. Weasley and I have. What is on the agenda for today? Anything else need scrubbing or anymore gnomes need thrown?" Harry asked hopefully as he had become accustomed to doing something every minute of every day. Ginny stifled a giggle because she had never seen someone who wanted to do chores so badly.

"Nothing. All of you have kept up with the chores that I regretfully neglected and therefore, there is nothing else that needs to be done. The gnomes won't be back for a few more days and as of right now, the only thing that is going to be done is the breakfast dishes but I have that under control."

Harry's mouth dropped and Ginny let go of her suppressed giggles.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked walking hand in hand with Hermione into the kitchen and sitting across from Harry and Ginny. He piled potatoes onto his plate and covered them with ketchup as Mrs. Weasley brought the bacon to the table and sat down with them.

"Never mind, Ron. Just eat," There was no need to tell Ron anything especially since Ginny was probably the only one who thought Harry had looked adorable when Mrs. Weasley had said nothing.

They all ate as much as they possibly could while contemplating what they were going to do all say. Diagon Alley had been out of the question since Harry did not have any guards available to take him and with some Death Eaters still on the loose, no one wanted to take the chance of anything happening to him. Ginny knew that he wanted a new broom and had really just wanted to get out of the same confinements he had been in for the past month. She knew he enjoyed being here with her but there was only so much of The Burrow a person could take. Eventually, a change of scenery was needed.

Finally, they decided to just take a walk. Ginny was excited about this because she could probably have everyone stop for a while to climb the trees which she hadn't done for years though she had always enjoyed going as high as she could and just looking at the world around her. Ron and Hermione we going to go with them but Ginny knew that they would only be with Harry and her for a short period of time.

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><p>They all set off as a group towards the field where they had thrown the garden gnomes. Harry had his arm around Ginny's shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. It was quite comfortable, Harry noted that Ginny kept a firm grip on his side and at random points it would tickle causing him to let out a snort of laughter. He hoped that she didn't catch on or else he would have some trouble.<p>

When they had reached the edge of the field where the woods began, Ron and Hermione went to the right while Ginny and Harry went to the left.

"I knew that was going to happen," Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes, "And by the way, mum did come into your room this morning."

"At least I know I am not crazy," Harry received a glare from Ginny. He chuckled before continuing "So how much trouble are we in?"

"Aparently none. She didn't say anything other than telling me I looked comfortable. I'm surprised the other two didn't get into trouble because if she checked on us, she checked on them."

"She will say something later. I'm sure of it because we both know that they were not just sleeping."

"That was exactly what I was thinking."

They continued to walk for a while in silence before Ginny stopped next to a tree with some low hanging branches. She let go of him and launched herself onto the branch closest to her. Harry had never been able to climb trees, at least for fun, and he knew that even the time that Ripper had held him in the tree for hours; it had been extremely difficult to place his hands and feet correctly.

Ginny was four or five branches up when she yelled back down to Harry "Get up here! The view is spectacular!"

Harry smiled and jumped to grab the nearest branch and hoisted himself up. He looked up and found that Ginny had placed herself in the crook of two thick branches. She was watching him struggle to get up the rest of the way and when his foot slipped she let out a short shriek.

He finally made it up to her and sat on the branch right under her.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She said smiling and pointing between the leaves.

Harry hadn't noticed before but from where they were, they could see the top of the Burrow and if he turned the other way, where Ginny was pointing, they could see for miles. The tops of trees went on forever and here and there, they could see small houses. It was an amazing view and it seemed that this wasn't the first time Ginny had been up here.

"Before mum would let me go near the brooms, I would come out here and climb the trees. I loved the height and what I could see. I felt that I was on top of the world and no one could do anything about it. I took quite a few pictures when I was here but at one point I dropped the camera and the film fell out. It ruined it. It's even better when the sun sets though. I will have to show you sometime just not today since it's still so early and I really don't feel like sitting in a tree all day. It tends to hurt after a few hours," Ginny was still gazing past the leaves, taking in all of the beautiful scenery.

Harry, on the other hand, was in his opinion gazing at something much more beautiful than any tree could ever be. Ginny was so passionate about everything and while she was gazing at the scenery, all he could do was gaze at her. She looked so amazing. The slight breeze was making her hair float around her face and she had a small smile on her lips. Even watching her swing her feet gently made Harry smile. He couldn't understand how he could feel so much for one woman but what he did know was that it was happening. He may not be able to explain it but he was fairly certain that he was falling in love with Ginny Weasley.

"You're beautiful," Harry said absentmindedly still staring at Ginny. He hadn't meant to say that out loud but he was glad he did. Ginny blushed and thanked him quietly.

"Why don't we get down and keep walking," She made sure that Harry knew where to put his feet so he didn't fall out of the tree before swinging herself down with ease.

They walked for a while and were just about to relax when harry hit something very solid and flew backwards, hitting a tree that was behind him. All of the air was knocked from his lungs and Ginny ran to his side.

"Oh my gosh! Harry, are you alright?" Harry just lie there attempting to catch his breath while Ginny frantically tried to help him.

Once he was able to breathe, he stood up and went in the general direction that he had run into whatever had knocked him back. He stuck his wand out and carefully felt around. Walking a few more feet forward, his wand hit something and went spinning from his hand.

"What is going on? Why is there a barrier here?" Harry asked out loud, not really meaning for an answer.

"Oh! I know what it is Harry. I completely forgot about it until now. It's wards, to warn us if anyone is trying to get in without permission. Kingsley had them put up right after the battle in case any Death Eaters decide to make their presence known. And it looks as though it keeps us in as well," Ginny had went a retrieved Harry's wand from a bush while telling him about the wards. She handed it back to him and motioned for him to follow her, "Let's just go back. I'm starving anyway and it must be almost time for lunch. We need to find Ron and Hermione too since mum will want them to return with us."

Harry was somewhat upset that the wards had been placed around the Weasley's and everyone had forgotten to tell him. Did they believe that he would get angry? He hadn't felt very angry in a long time, sad and tired yes, but actually being truly angry was not something that had plagued him for a very long time.

They walked and walked until their feet couldn't take it anymore and they had to rest at the foot of a tree. They weren't too far from the field though as they could just make out the edge of the woods. While they sat there, holding hands with their eyes closed Ginny spoke quietly.

"Do you hear that?"

Harry listened intently, trying to ignore all the birds in the surrounding trees and picked up a faint noise that sounded oddly human. They both quietly got up and went in the direction of the noise.

When they could hear it more clearly, they looked at each other in shock, not wanting to go any further.

Harry was quite certain that one of those voices, which was issuing small moans, were coming from one of his best friends and he was also pretty certain that the next voice he heard was Hermione's.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other horror struck at semi finding their friends in the middle of their alone time. Harry jerked his head towards the field and mouthed the words 'Let's go,' and started to half walk, half run in that direction.

When they reached the edge of the Weasley's garden, Ginny and Harry both doubled over laughing, catching their breath again.

"I never want to hear that again and I hope to Merlin that I never walk in on them," Harry said hopping over the garden wall and heading to the back door.

"Agreed," Ginny said following him.

Harry grabbed her hand as they went into the kitchen and both of them stopped when they saw who was sitting at the table, scarfing down everything in sight. The person swallowed and looked up at them both.

"Hey guys. I'm so glad to be back," George Weasley returned to eating as Harry looked at Ginny, tears streaming down her face.

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><p><strong>Authors Notes<strong>

Hope you enjoyed this one! I know I loved writing it! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long for this one! Writer's block stepped in once I had the first few paragraphs so I had to write an outline before I could continue! hope you enjoy this one!**

**DC: I do not own Harry Potter**

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><p><strong>Secrets<strong>

For the next few days, Ginny spent most of her time near her brother. She felt that if she were to be apart from him for long, he would disappear again. It was nice to hear of his travels though. She found out that he had not only traveled Europe but he had also made it to America to speak with the witches from the Salem Institute.

Everyone had heard what Voldemort had done and was glad that it was finally over. Those living abroad had been scared for family that lived in Europe and often feared for themselves. One of the witches in Salem had explained to George that she had cousins that were thrown into Azkaban after being caught on the run by the Death Eaters. They hadn't heard from them since and were not expecting to.

It was awful to hear of, especially since the wizarding community all over the world had been affected by the war. Ginny had never looked at the grand scale of what Harry had been doing in his effort to get rid of Voldemort. At the same time, she was very happy to have George back. She learned that his favorite place he had been was Italy even though he had found himself lost on several occasions, not knowing any Italian.

"And then I turned down an alley, and nothing. For the life of me, I could not find my way back to my hotel so I just slept on a bench in front of one of the shops. I probably could have apparated but with my luck, I would have been spotted appearing in front of the door," George said, recounting his last night away from home, "So, I figured I had been away long enough, not to mention I was almost out of money so the next day, I woke up and decided to come back here. That's pretty much it. The stores been closed down for so long and I need to get going again," George stopped and averted his eyes from everyone before he next spoke, "He wouldn't want me to just let everything go. We worked too hard for me to give up our dream," When he turned back to face them, Ginny noticed the tears in his eyes. It was the first time he had spoken of Fred since he had been back.

Mrs. Weasley had told George that Harry would share his room for the time being but Harry had then asked Ginny why she had not been staying with him.

"I am not going to be sleeping with you while my brother is in the room. George wouldn't shut up when Ron was dating Lavender and they were just snogging. I would never live it down if he caught his only sister with someone, even if it is you," Ginny smiled at Harry then noticed the very confused look on his face.

"The only thing we have been doing is sleeping and anyway, he wouldn't know. He hasn't been in here at all, Gin," Harry looked at her with concern as tears welled up in her eyes.

She had just realized that George must not able to come into this room yet. It was still too much. She remembered when mum would just come in here to rush back out in tears but it hadn't occurred to anyone that George would take much more time getting used to this. But where had he been sleeping without anyone realizing it? Certainly not Ron's room, with Hermione in there every night. And besides, Ron would have said something right? That must mean he was downstairs on the couch though it wouldn't explain why Mrs. Weasley had not sent him back upstairs every morning when she woke up.

Ginny wiped the tears that had spilled down her cheek on her pajama sleeve and went down to see if her theory was correct. When she entered the family room, George was nowhere to be seen.

"George?" She quietly called his name and received no answer. She searched the entire front room, the kitchen and a few of the closets in hopes that she would find her brother in one of those places.

Finding no one, she made her way back up to Harry, panicking, and found him slipping on his pajama bottoms, "I can't find him, Harry! He's not downstairs like I thought and I don't think any other room is available for him to use. Bill's, Charlie's and Percy's old rooms are stuffed with junk that mum has moved around so I don't think he could fit anywhere in there! Where else could he be? Do you think he would have left again? Oh no, he couldn't have! That would break mum's heart again! What should I do?" Harry looked into Ginny's wide scared eyes, tears running down her face and flung his arms around her.

"Gin, he wouldn't leave. He needs his family as much as you need him. He wouldn't leave again. He is somewhere in this house but it's not up to you or your parents to look for him. It has to be hard for him, just like it was for all of us after we came back. Remember, he didn't come back right away so he hasn't had that time to heal as we did. He missed the funeral like I did while I was out for so long. All of his memories of his twin are in this room and it is up to him to find out when he can face those. It could be a while, Gin," His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer.

Ginny held onto him as she cried, staining his shirt with her tears. He rubbed her hair, trying to calm her down but she knew that it was no use. She would continue to cry until she fell asleep. When would everything be normal again? She knew the answer. Never. It would never be the same as it had been before, but sooner or later, it would get better. It had to.

Harry pulled her onto the bed and held her until her tears had dried and she was just sniffling. She always felt warm and comfortable in his arms and she knew, as she fell asleep, she would always have him there with her.

* * *

><p>Harry watched as Ginny fell into a deep sleep, her hair falling around her face gracefully, her mouth set in a small frown. She looked so peaceful and he hoped that she would always be there for him to watch her like this. He smiled and snuggled his nose into her hair. There was that scent again. No matter what, the flowery scent that Ginny always had, made him relax under any circumstance and he especially enjoyed it at night before he fell asleep. Content, he pulled her even closer and tried to drift off, when he noticed a glow from his window. The only window in the room faced the side of the house and therefore, no lights should have been on, since there was no door on this side of the house.<p>

Making sure that Ginny would not wake, he untangled his arms from her body and laid the blanket over her, before slipping on his glasses, grabbing his wand and making his way to the window.

There on the lawn was a lonely figure, lit wand in hand, covered by several blankets. A mop of red hair was lying on a pillow, mouth moving as he looked up. Harry had found where George had been spending his nights.

Looking up as well, Harry saw millions of stars that dusted the night sky and realized that this was George's time to be with his brother. A tear ran down his face as he made his way back to Ginny, a small smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Molly Weasley looked down at her son from her window, not even trying to hold back her own tears. He had been out there every night since he had returned, and she hadn't the heart to say anything. It hurt to see him like this but she knew in the long run, it would be better for him. His own way of healing.<p>

"Please watch over him, Fred. He still needs you."

Molly felt an arm around her waist and looked at her husband standing next to her.

"He will Molly. He will."

She put her head on his shoulder as they continued to look upon their son for some time before returning to bed for the night.

* * *

><p>Ginny woke the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. She sat up quickly noticing that Harry was not there with her. She giggled a little knowing that the delicious smell had probably enticed him to make his way to the kitchen before her.<p>

"I'm glad to see you're so happy this morning," Harry smiled as he walked back into the room, still in his pajamas.

"Have you eaten already?" She asked him, wanting to know if her theory had been correct.

"Nope! I've been waiting for you to finally get up," He made his way over to her and pulled her off the bed. She smiled as he lent in to kiss her gently. She loved mornings with him.

"Come on, I'm starving," Ginny said skipping out the door, wondering why she was so giddy this morning. Harry caught up with her as they headed into the kitchen just to see Ron and George already there, talking in hushed whispers.

"Hey guys! Mum made an amazing breakfast! I'm pretty sure being back for just this short time, I have gained at least twice my weight back," George laughed as he folded a piece of parchment and shoved it in Ron's hands who then placed it in his jean pocket quickly.

Ginny eyed them suspiciously and sat down to eat some toast and beans.

"The minister should be here in the next few days, Harry and Ron. Have you made your decisions yet?" Mrs. Weasley had just joined them at the table and began to eat small amounts of everything. Ginny had noticed that she had started to regain her appetite now that George had returned though there were still meals in which she would just push her food around her plate.

Harry nodded his head slowly and Ginny knew that he was still apprehensive about this decision. She knew he would be fine once he started the training for an auror position but until then, he would question himself.

"Still thinking about it," Ron said and Ginny noticed he glanced over at George before returning to eat the sausage he had just put on his plate.

"Well I hope you decide soon because your father is pretty sure there will be reporters for the Daily Prophet here with the minister. Where is Hermione by the way? Usually she is up by now."

"Sleeping," Ron mumbled, a slight flush creeping into his cheeks and Ginny could only imagine why Hermione would still be sleeping.

"Long night, huh?" Harry asked grinning, making Ron's face go as red as his hair, maybe even a few shades deeper. He sank a few inches in his chair, keeping his face down and continued to stuff food into his mouth.

Ginny looked at her mum expecting her to be confused but instead she found her tight lipped, a knowing look in her eyes though she did not say anything. Saying Ginny was shocked would be an understatement. She couldn't believe that even though her mum obviously knew what her brother and best friend were and had been doing for some time, she was not going to say anything.

George was looking at his brother with a mischievous grin on his face and Ginny knew that Ron would not be living this down for a very long time.

Conversation had returned to normal not long after Harry's comment and by the time breakfast was finished, Hermione had still not shown up. Ginny made her way to her room, expecting to change into something comfortable before she curled up on the couch downstairs with a book for the day as it was now pouring outside but instead she found Hermione sitting on her bed. She was wearing sweats and a shirt that looked as though it had come from Ron's closet. Eyeing her friend confusedly, Ginny sat down next to her.

"Why are you wearing Ron's shirt?"

"I need to go shopping. A lot of my shirts have been, uh, damaged recently and so yeah..." Ginny started laughing as she watched Hermione's face turn the same shade of red as Ron's had.

"Maybe you two need to calm down a bit, Hermione," Ginny said receiving a glare from her friend.

"Oh, don't tell me you and Harry haven't!" Hermione snapped causing Ginny to jump a few inches.

"No Hermione. We haven't, thank you," Ginny was surprised and angered of what she was being accused of doing, "I'm not of age yet and besides, I would really like it to mean something and I know just a little over a month of us being together does not constitute that behavior. We haven't even talked about it. I don't think either of us are ready either. It's way too soon after the war and both of us are still just trying to heal those wounds. He still cries out in his sleep. I haven't told him, but there have been times when he has pushed me out of bed due to his dreams," This was the first time that Ginny had told anyone that Harry was still sleeping restlessly.

"I'm sorry Gin. I didn't realize. Neither of us have slept in this room for so long, I just suspected that you were doing the same things we were since you are both so obviously in love. It didn't even occur to me that he was still having problems."

"Yeah, it's okay. There were also a few times that I have had to hold him for a while to calm him down after a particularly bad dream though he won't ever tell me what happens. I've stopped asking. For a while he was alright. He was sleeping well and not moving much but for the last two weeks he has been having more and more dreams. It's a wonder he was up before me today, though last night was a good one. Let me get you a shirt and we can see if mum will let us go shopping. Diagon Alley has been getting more and more shops and Olivander is even back," Ginny went to her closet and found an olive green shirt which she threw at Hermione.

As soon as they were both changed, Hermione in pair of her favorite dark blue jeans and the shirt she had been given, Ginny in a purple v-neck tee and a pair of dark skinny jeans they headed to the family room to ask if they would be able to go to Diagon Alley.

Instead of Mrs. Weasley, they found Ron and George in deep conversation at the other end of the room, a piece of parchment between them which looked as though it had been folded before. Ginny guessed that it was probably the parchment she had seen this morning and wondered why on earth it was so important.

"Have either of you seen mum?" She asked as Ron stood up quickly and went to Hermione.

"She went to the garden with Harry. I think she wanted to talk with him though she said she needed help with a few things. Oh, get a room you two," George stared at his brother disgusted as Ginny did the same. Ron once again looked as though he was consuming Hermione's face as he grabbed her bottom as well. Ginny rolled her eyes and knew that he would never change.

After giving them a few more seconds with each other, in which time they still had not parted, Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her away from her brother.

"Come on Hermione. We have a job to do today. Unless you really want to be wearing his clothes all the time," Ginny muttered that last sentence under her breath so only Hermione could hear. She looked back at Ron and saw a look of fury on his face, "Oh, get over it Ron. You can have her later. We have stuff to do and unless I am mistaken, so do you and George," She glanced at her other brother who mouth the words 'Thank you' before Ron sat down to resume what they had been doing before.

Hermione and Ginny made their way out the back door to the garden. At first they didn't immediately see either Mrs. Weasley or Harry but on closer inspection, she saw them both sitting beside a large bush near the side of the house talking. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and made their way over to them, hearing just the end of their conversation.

"...speak with them as well. Hello girls! Glad to finally see you up Hermione," Mrs. Weasley gave Hermione a pointed stare.

"Mum, can we go into Diagon Alley today? Hermione would like to do some shopping," Ginny had said before Hermione could speak, to save her some humiliation today.

"Gin, you know we still need to wait for your father to come. Maybe when you get your book list we can all go. What do you need to get Hermione? Maybe we can figure something out until we can all go."

"I need some shirts Mrs. Weasley," Hermione's turned a shade of pink as she said "Most of mine have gone missing or they are too small for me."

"Why don't you go down to the muggle village a ways down the road and see if there is something you can find there?" Ginny looked at Hermione and nodded. This seemed like a good compensation for the time being, "Also, can I have a word with you Hermione?"

"Sure Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said looking quite nervous.

"Harry, don't forget what I said," Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrows at him and he nodded his head energetically while grabbing Ginny's hand and heading for the house.

"She's going to be talking to her a while, isn't she?" Ginny asked.

"Yep. She knows about her and Ron, and pretty much wants to be reassured that they are careful. That's what she was saying to me only it was more like 'her brothers will kill you' so I spent a while explaining that there is no way that I would hurt you in any way. She shouldn't worry but I guess that's a mother job," Harry smiled and stopped by the basement door. Ginny laughed at the statement about her brothers but it was not because she thought they wouldn't do it, she just thought that it may be a little tougher for them to get past her if she was angry with them. None of them ever wanted to get near her when she was angry especially since they seen the bat-bogey hex she placed on Malfoy a few years ago.

* * *

><p>Harry looked at Ginny laughing and thought it was the most beautiful sound ever. This was probably the first time that he hadn't resisted his urge to kiss her. Before Ginny knew what was happening, Harry had her pressed against the basement door, his lips pressing into hers. It was like he couldn't get enough of her. He pressed his body firmly against hers and dragged his hands up her arms to her neck and eventually tangling in her gorgeous red hair.<p>

He was afraid she was going to push him away once he had flicked his tongue over her lips, feeling her hands tense on his chest, but to his surprise, she slowly parted her lips, giving him access. Elated, he started exploring her, tasting her. She sighed into his mouth and he smiled against her lips. This was the best feeling he had in a long time.

His heart was thumping wildly as he pulled away, still pressing Ginny against the door. He just kept her there not wanting to move. She didn't seem to want to move either and he was alright with staying like this. Isn't this what Mrs. Weasley had just warned him about? How he needed to be careful or else they could end up like Ron and Hermione? No, he didn't want that. He wanted to make sure that Ginny was alright with everything they did even if it wasn't that bad. Though, he could really get used to this.

He lent down one more time kissing her again, though lightly this time and backed away, letting her have more room. Her face was flushed and she was smiling. Harry's heart soared knowing that he gave her that face and it was adorable.

Later that day, Ginny had left with Hermione to go shopping in the muggle village just like Mrs. Weasley had told them. At first he had insisted on going but to his dismay, Ginny and Hermione and Mrs. Weasley all shot him down, saying that some girl time was needed and perhaps Harry, Ron and George could have some guy time. That had been a laughing matter as Ron and George had gone to Ron's room for the past two hours still clutching that parchment he had seen Ron put in his pocket this morning.

So instead of having guy time, Harry had taken to wandering around the house, inside and out. He had started with the outside, picking some flowers for Ginny when she returned. Yeah, he knew it was cheesy but she would love it. When he went back into the house, he decided to go explore a room he had only been in a few times very briefly.

Quietly he opened Ginny's bedroom door and a smile immediately found its way to his mouth. It smelled like her. That flowery scent he loved so much. Why hadn't they been sleeping in here? He silently closed the door behind him and went to go see what he could find.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, he started looking on the nightstand that looked as though it held random items. On it was the picture of her family when they had been in Egypt, all smiling and waving. Ginny had looked so small then, compared to the woman she had now become. Harry remembered the feel of her pressed against him earlier that day and continued smiling.

He continued to look around the room for some time finding a few really interesting things such as a folder of Prophet clippings all about himself ranging from his fourth year to the undesirable poster the Ministry had put him on (though it now read desirable with a scorch mark over the un). He laughed out loud when he found that one. He also found a small crimson book which he had opened only to notice that it was her diary. He found this odd considering what had happened to her in her first year but he was betting that she made sure there was nothing wrong with it before using it. Flipping to the most recent entry, he read;

_July 6,_

_This summer is just flying past. I'm glad to be going back to Hogwarts next year but even though I know it will be safe, last year still hasn't left me. I can't even remember how many times I was 'in detention'_

Harry clutched the book angrily at this knowing full well what detention had meant last year,

_And I guess I will always be scared to an extent though no one ever has to know. Harry still needs me to be strong due to the dreams he continues to have. I thought they were over but the returned three days ago and it got to the point that he was in tears. I spent so long calming him. I'm glad I can be t here to help. Not to mention the morning's with him. They are great, just knowing he is right next to me and he's so warm. He makes me comfortable and his kisses are amazing! Though I really wish we didn't know about Ron and Hermione. I really hope he doesn't want any of that soon because I would really like to finish school before I do anything like that. I'm pretty sure he doesn't care either way and it makes me so happy that he respects my boundaries._

_George still isn't back. I heard mum and dad talking the other night. More like I went to the kitchen around one in the morning to get some water for Harry, and heard them talking instead. They don't think he's coming back. It hurts. I don't want to lose him as well as Fred._

Here Harry noticed a few tear stains that smudged some of the words,

_We just have to wait and see. I won't give up hope. I can't. He will return._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

Harry had tears in his eyes. He didn't realize how hard she took that time when George wasn't here or how much she loved being with Harry. It made his heart soar once more to know that he meant the much to her and then plummet when he realized that she hasn't had her time to grieve like he had. He took that from her because she had been taking care of him. He wished she had told him this because he couldn't just tell her that he had read her diary. She would hate him then.

He sat there for a few minutes staring at the book, lost in thought. Before he realized what was happening, two people had come strolling into the room with a few shopping bags. He stared up at Ginny, who looked at his hand, a furious look on her face. She dropped the bag she had been carrying, stormed over to him and wrenched the book from his grasp.

"How could you, Harry? These are my private thoughts, as in stuff you shouldn't know about!" She grabbed her wand and uttered an incantation which bound the book around the edges with something that looked like glue.

"Ginny, I'm sorry! I didn't think about it! It was there and I like knowing what you're thinking! I only read the last entry! I have no clue what else you put in there!" Harry got off the bed and went to her, attempting to wrap his arms around her waist, only to have her shove his arms away. Hermione had left as soon as she had seen Ginny getting angry, "I want to know about the stuff I read," Harry continued in a softer voice. "Ginny, you have helped me but haven't let me do the same in return. Please tell me these things."

Ginny, who had turned away from him and sat moodily on the bed, turned around once more and faced him again, "That's how I deal with it Harry. I write and then I feel better. Some of that stuff I don't need to tell people. The stuff that I tell you is w hat I want you to know and what I think is truly important. Not that the part about you making me comfortable isn't true. I just though you knew that already."

Ginny got up and went back over to Harry. He was glad because he hated the feeling of knowing she was pissed with him. He opened his arms again and this time she came to him and laid her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I won't look through your stuff again," He smiled remembering the collection of clippings she had, "though I really enjoyed the 'desirable' poster you kept of me."

Ginny turned bright red causing Harry to laugh and in turn making her laugh as well.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Hope you liked the chapter! :) Please review! I wanna know everyone's thoughts so I know which way the story is going aka good or bad! I actually had to stop writing part way through because I made myself cry!


	5. Chapter 5

**In honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 being released, I figured I would update way sooner than normal! Enjoy! "Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." - JKR**

**DC: I don't own Harry Potter**

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><p><strong>Unexpected<strong>

The Minister showed up with Mr. Weasley two days later in the early afternoon. Many others were there as well, though for the first time, Rita Skeeter had not been allowed to make an appearance nor were there any acid green quills among the reporters that had arrived. Ginny hoped that this meant Kingsley wanted a somewhat accurate account of what Harry, Ron and Hermione would be stating in a few short minutes.

They sat themselves in the living room, Harry grasping Ginny's hand as though his life depended on it. She wasn't sure she had ever seen him more nervous than he was as he sat there. She squeezed his hand affectionately hoping to calm him some. He looked at her and gave a small smile before turning away, his face drooping back into a grimace.

Ron and Hermione were on Harry's other side, and Ginny noticed that her brother was very white and looked to be even more nervous than Harry. She wasn't sure why Ron should be any more nervous though she had noticed him and George had been spending odd amounts of time together. She would always find them lurking in a corner of the house or out in the yard when they had guests over and they always had the same parchment with them. It was strange but no one had asked what they had been doing, believing that they were just catching up as brothers, though Ginny felt that this could not be true.

Hermione seemed to be the only one that was calm and collected beside Ginny due to the fact that she knew she would be returning to Hogwarts. She was just there for moral support for Harry and she was glad that she was there. There were about ten other people jammed into the small living area, some with their wands held out, about to broadcast live over WWN, others with stretches of parchment, quills poised, ready to begin writing as soon as Kingsley started the interview. After Kingsley had the trio's official statements of what they would be doing with their life, the press would be allowed just a few questions to each of them.

After Mrs. Weasley had brought everyone tea or water if the preferred it, Kingsley started.

"You all know why I am here and unfortunately, I had to bring along everyone else but don't worry, I will personally be looking over every written thing. Since we are live, your words cannot be changed to fit someone else's views which is hopefully a small comfort for you," Ginny tried not to laugh due to the fact that this had just made Harry even more nervous as he had almost crushed her hand. He never had very good experiences with the press, "Harry, why don't we start with you. Everyone is extremely interested in your views especially."

Harry looked over at Ginny and she smiled at him encouragingly. She saw him swallow and take a deep breath before he spoke.

"I will not be returning to Hogwarts in September. I will be heading straight into training as an auror, which has been my ultimate goal since my fifth year," Ginny was surprised at how smooth he sounded though his hand was grasping hers painfully.

Kingsley smiled and grabbed a piece of parchment that he had placed beside himself. Taking his wand, he waved it over the parchment once and handed it to Harry.

"This isn't a contract or anything," he had seen Harry's expression turning into one of distrust, "It is merely stating that you will not be returning to Hogwarts and that you would like to begin training as early as the date you place into that slot next to your signature."

Harry let go of Ginny's hand to take the parchment from Kingsley, looking over it. Ginny glanced around the room. Some of the reporters were hastily scribbling a few more sentences before looking back up to wait and see what Harry would do. Others were just waiting patiently.

It took a minute, but Harry eventually leaned over the coffee table in front of him, take the quill Kingsley offered and placed his signature on the line at the bottom of the scroll with the date _September 2 _neatly written next to it. Ginny smiled knowing that he wanted to wait until she returned to Hogwarts, giving them ample time to be together since she wouldn't see him until the Christmas holiday once she returned.

He gave the parchment to Kingley who checked over everything and rolled it up, sealing it with his wand.

"Harry Potter will begin training as an auror starting September second," Ginny knew that he only restated this due for the audiences who were listening over WWN, "Now onto Miss Granger."

Hermione was sitting right next to Harry and calmly stated "I will be returning to Hogwarts. I would like to complete my education before deciding what I would like to pursue in the future."

Ginny felt ecstatic that Hermione would be joining her for the next term and grinned at her best friend who grinned back. Kingsley picked up another piece of parchment and repeated the same process he had with Harry. Hermione signed quickly and Kingsley did not have to repeat anything, turning to look at Ron who still looked pale.

"Mr. Weasley, your decision please."

Ron sat there for a minute before answering in a very quiet voice.

"I will not be returning to Hogwarts," Next to him Hermione quietly gasped and Ginny had the feeling this was not what Ron had told her, "I will be heading to Diagon Alley to help my brother George with his shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes effective immediately."

Ginny noticed that Hermione looked furious, though knew better not to say anything in front of all the reporters. Once again Kingsley picked up his last bit of parchment, waved his wand and handed it to Ron. He quickly signed and handed it back, reaching for Hermione's hand and not finding it. She had placed her hands under her legs and stared straight in front of her, tears threatening to spill over.

Kingsley must have noticed because instead of asking for questions he simply stated "No questions will be asked today. We will have a small press conference when I deem it appropriate."

The press groaned and began to pack everything up, placing parchment into bags and stowing wands before heading back to the kitchen.

"Thank you for doing this. It was much easier than I expected and I am very pleased with your decisions. Hopefully people will not worry as much when the Hogwarts express leaves on the first of September and we are hoping that many of the Muggle-borns who are still in hiding will return to work soon," Kingsley shook everyone's hand and left. Ginny heard him muttering thanks to Mrs. Weasley for letting all of them into her home before the back door closed and all of the reporters were gone.

Harry turned and grinned at Ginny before embracing her tightly and sighing.

"Thank you. It was much easier with you next to me," Ginny looked up and him and gently kissed his lips before turning and checking on her brother and best friend.

Hermione still had not moved though it looked like she was just barely holding back words that Ginny could tell she was choking on. She opened her mouth to speak and shut it quickly, standing up and storming out of the room. Ron sat in stunned silence. The kitchen door slammed once again as Hermione made her way to the yard.

"Ugg..." Ron placed his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair before following her.

"Should we check on them? I'm worried about Hermione killing him," Ginny asked.

"Probably, though he may deserve a little pain for telling her wrong," Harry smiled and Ginny grabbed his hands, leading him to the back yard where Hermione and Ron were having a blazing row.

"How could you Ronald Weasely? Just last week you had the nerve to tell me that you would be with me next year! That you couldn't decide what you wanted to do so it would help you by going back to Hogwarts!" Hermione was so furious, she was turning red.

"I _didn't_ know what I wanted to do, Hermione! George only asked me at the end of last week! He needs help at the store since Fred is gone and he can't do it on his own!"

"Then why didn't you tell me when he asked you! What did you think I would do? Tell you no? When has that ever stopped you anyway!"

"I didn't want to hurt you, Mione! I knew you were expecting me to go with you and I just never found the right time to mention it! You were always so happy! Waiting for the owls to get here with our lists, going over what we would take together! I didn't want to see you...like this!"

"So you waited for me to look like a fool in front of everyone today? I didn't know what to do Ron! I was almost in tears that you hadn't told me!" She really was in tears now. Ron started to go to her when she yanked out her wand and pointed it at him. Ginny took this as a sign to intervene and raced to her best friend before she could do anything she would regret later, "Don't come near me Ron. Just leave me alone."

Ginny looked at Harry who stood awkwardly in the doorway, waiting for something to do. She gave him a pointed look and motioned him to help out Ron, who now had tears running down his face as well. She knew that Harry would probably not know what to do with his best friend in tears but Ginny had to deal with Hermione before Ron got hurt.

"Come on, Hermione. Let's go up to my room," It took a moment but Hermione finally obliged, stuffing her wand into her pocket and wrenching herself from Ginny's grip and stalking back into the house. Ginny sighed and followed her, hoping that she could calm her down in a bit.

When Ginny had made it to her room, Mrs. Weasley was standing outside the door.

"Is everything alright, dear?"

"Ron and Hermione just had a row. They need to be away from each other for a while."

"Ah," Ginny smiled at her mum since Mrs. Weasley looked as though she knew this would happen at some point.

Ginny entered her room to see Hermione sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, curled up, and sobbing into her knees. Once again Ginny sighed and went over to comfort her friend.

"Why didn't he think he could tell me? If he would have just said something and not let me go on and on thinking we were going to be together all next year, it wouldn't have been so bad but he never even gave me a clue! I was wondering what those two had been talking about in private for a while but I never though t it was this," Ginny patted Hermione on the back, letting her lean against her shoulder, not wanting to say anything. Hermione just need to calm herself down, "Can we have a girl's night in here tonight? I don't want to sleep upstairs tonight."

Ginny giggled.

"Yeah, of course. Harry won't mind."

Over the next few days, Ginny stayed in her room with Hermione while her friend avoided Ron at all costs. The first night, Ron had slept outside Ginny's door after attempting to talk to Hermione and being shut out. The only way that Ginny knew this though was that she had needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and had trodden on Ron's stomach, making him howl in pain.

"Shhh! What are you doing here?" Ginny had just jumped about four feet off the ground and was now extremely angry with her brother.

"I need to talk to her, Gin."

"She will talk to her when she's ready. Don't force her to talk to you yet because you will just make her angry."

Ginny had dragged him away from the door and threatened him to stay away from Hermione before rushing to the bathroom. He hadn't slept outside the door after that though.

It was another week before Hermione talked to Ron about his decision which finally gave time for Ginny to be with Harry.

"Too much girl time, never a good thing," Harry laughed when Ginny told him this as they were sitting under a tree in the back yard, "Can you believe you only have one more month before you go back to Hogwarts?"

"It seems so surreal. I'm really nervous, Harry. What happens if I can't handle it? I mean, we lost so many people in those halls and what if I can't control my emotions?"

Harry hugged her closer to him and she let him, only for a bit though as it was boiling outside, "You will be fine and I am pretty sure the teachers will be having the same problems as well. You will learn to heal. I have to admit though; I don't think I could go back to Hogwarts for some time because of that. Too much happened but you are different. You know how to control yourself and know how to handle these things whereas, I am relearning. It is so much different not having that piece of Voldemort inside me anymore." Ginny's eyes widened but she didn't say anything. He hadn't told her before but what could she expect. There were some things that were just not important anymore.

"I have a feeling that you will be letting things like this slip for a while since the only one who knows almost everything that happened that night is you.'

"Probably."

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><p>The summer flew by quickly after Ron and Hermione made up. Days were spent relaxing in the yard, helping Mrs. Weasley, visits from Ginny's family members and to Harry's immense surprise, Andromeda bringing Teddy over to spend time with him for a while.<p>

It took a while for Harry to actually pluck up the courage to hold Teddy. Ginny had eventually placed him in his arms and Harry's heart felt like it would burst. This little boy was adorable and he could see the likenesses to both Lupin and Tonks. Looking down at little Teddy in his arms, brought tears to his eyes, knowing what it would be like for him to never know his parents but Harry hoped that he could be that person in his life who would help him grow into a great man.

Andromeda only stayed with Teddy for a few hours but in that time, Harry grew close to him, feeding him, changing one horrific diaper and rocking him to sleep. Seeing that little boy for just those few hours made harry the happiest he had been in a long time, knowing that Teddy relied on him. When it was time for him to go, Harry reluctantly gave him back to Andromeda.

After they had left the house, Harry saw Ginny and Hermione look at each other and sigh.

"That was adorable, Harry! You looked so cute holding him and I can't believe how much he looks like Lupin though I think his hair changed color every few minutes," Harry scowled at being called cute but let it slide as it was Ginny and he was perfectly fine with whatever she said. And she was right; Teddy's hair had at one point been a violent red that rivaled Ron's face when he was embarrassed.

"You are going to be a great father, Harry," This time it was Hermione that spoke and even though he was happy with what she said, it was extremely awkward and the silence that followed it was met with downward glances from everyone.

As the first of September approached Harry was getting anxious to see Ginny and Hermione get on the Hogwarts Express for the first time without him. Though, Mrs. Weasley was having a great time knowing that she only had to worry about two people's clothing and supplies rather than four to six. Harry often saw her looking for things to do since she was normally drowned in work days before the train left.

Ginny had received her letter from Hogwarts just a few weeks ago and had been ecstatic when her golden Quidditch captain badge had fallen out. Harry had immediately contacted Quality Quidditch Supplies and ordered a Nimbus 2000 for her which was supposed to be arriving that day, August 30th. He had really wanted to order her a Firebolt but was pretty sure he would have been strangled, though he wasn't entirely sure he was not going to be when she learned what he had bought her. She deserved it though and Mrs. Weasley had not objected when he had told her what he had been planning on doing.

Everyone had just finished lunch when a large brown owl, carrying a long thin package came soaring though the kitchen window and landed in front of Ginny. Her eyes were wide and Harry was excited to see her actually open it. Apparently it shocked her more than he thought because she seemed to not want to touch it.

"Mum, how did you afford a broom?" Ginny's face had paled and Harry knew she was worrying about what her family would do to get by for the next few months though she needn't have worried.

"It wasn't me, Gin," Mrs. Weasley looked just as delighted as Harry felt, knowing her daughter was getting something wonderful.

For a moment Ginny looked even more taken aback before she slowly realized who had gotten the broom for her. She ripped open the paper and grabbed the gleaming handle. She glanced at the golden letters at the top of the stick that read "Nimbus 2000" and gasped.

"Harry Potter. What in the world...so expensive...can't even imagine...thank you," She was smiling now and that was all Harry wanted. He knew she was an amazing quidditch player and to help her become even greater, she needed something that was going to blow her Comet out of the water.

"You're welcome," She leaned over and embraced him, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, still not liking to show much affection in front of her family. It made Harry happy to give her something after all she had given him since May and even before then.

After that, the day went by way too quickly and Harry eventually found himself lying in bed, his arms wrapped around Ginny breathing in her scent once more.

"You excited for tomorrow?"

Ginny sighed before answering, "Of course but also a little apprehensive though I feel that since Hermione and I are now living together, it will be easier. And you can write to me so I'm pretty sure I will be alright. How about you? Two days until Auror training Mr. Potter."

"Nervous, but the first few weeks will just be going through actual schooling. More books, papers and following some certified Aurors around. It's pretty much the same as school though I get to come home after every day, though I have to pass my apparition test tomorrow before doing anything else," Ginny laughed and twisted in his arms to face him.

"Well that sucks but at least it's only for a few weeks instead of a whole year and let's hope that after appariting for the last year would have helped you in the long run," she snuggled even more into his chest, "Goodnight Harry. I have an early start tomorrow and a super long train ride."

Saying no more, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

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><p>The morning dawned bright and early, though they could have slept longer since both Ginny and Hermione had their belongings in the front room almost 45 minutes before their ministry cars were to arrive to take them to King's Cross. Naturally, Harry and Ron would be going to see their girlfriends off and Mrs. Weasley and George would be coming as well. George had closed the shop for the morning allowing both him and Ron to go.<p>

When the cars did finally arrive, Harry and Ginny were shaken awake once more after falling asleep on each other while waiting on the couch. Harry drug Ginny's trunk to the back of the car and helped the Ministry official stuff it in the trunk as Ron followed behind, eventually doing the same.

It seemed like such a short time that they were walking into King's Cross with a trolley loaded with Ginny's trunk and new broom. Once they reached the platforms 9 and 10, Harry and Ginny walked through the barrier together and saw the gleaming scarlet engine once again. It felt like being at home and Harry felt elated that at least one of them was going back. The crowd around them was small though that was to be expected for this upcoming year at Hogwarts. Harry hoped that more parents would have allowed their children to return but knew their fears. They would not be reassured until this year went by with no harm. Little Dennis Creevey was standing with his parents not far from him and Ginny, tears pouring from all of their eyes and Harry had to turn away abruptly making sure not to cry.

With only a few minutes to go, Harry watched as Ginny gave her mother and both brothers' long hugs before coming back to Harry.

"Don't get too caught up with friends and forget to write," He joked as she moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Ha! Forget about the famous Harry Potter? I am pretty sure my friends won't allow it," She smiled and stood on her toes to place a gentle kiss upon his lips. What was meant to be gentle was quickly turned into a passionate kiss, Harry placing his hands under her shirt, tracing the small of her back, Ginny running her fingers through his hair.

A loud cough had them pulling away from each other, a little out of breath and completely flushed. Ron was staring pointedly at his Harry and Ginny.

"Oh shut up Ron," Ginny gave Harry one last kiss before telling everyone that she would see them all at Christmas and followed Hermione onto the train.

Harry watched the train pick up speed and round the corner, waving to both girls furiously before gripping Mrs. Weasley's arm and apparating back to the Burrow.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I actually like this one the best because in order to write Ron and Hermione's fight I had to make myself angry. It was fun! Please review! I want to know if I should continue with the story or try another one.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry it has taken me so long to write another chapter. I have transferred to a different university and a lot has changed for me! Enjoy! **

**DC: I do not own Harry Potter**

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><p><strong>Hogsmeade<strong>

In the following weeks, Harry received multiple owls from Ginny. Most just told him about her day and many times there were inserts from Hermione in the margins. Apparently the girls had some classes together, where Ginny tended to write her letters. There were also a few serious ones about places in the castle that reminded her of the battle and she had briefly told him about some of the dreams she had had where Hermione had to calm her when she had woken. Harry wished he could be there with her or at least write to her every time he had gotten a letter but that was near impossible.

Auror training was much more grueling than even quidditch practice had been under Oliver Wood. So far, he had been going to two morning classes where he learned the theories behind spells (everything Hermione would love) and Practices of the Dark Arts where dark wizards and their followers were analyzed. It was supposed to help them track dark wizards in the future. Then there was lunch and the afternoon consisted of a workout and obstacle course, practice of the spell theories from the morning classes both on the ground and in the air. The last hour was fixing anyone who had been injured or broken. So far he had bones mended almost every night, a large gash cleaned and healed on his thigh (which happened to be the worst so far) and just one concussion which was good according to Shacklebolt.

Most nights he had gone back to the Burrow and collapsed in his room without dinner from sheer exhaustion. This Friday though was to be his first day off in a month and he was thrilled to sleep in.

Unfortunately, an owl decided to make its presence known at the crack of dawn by tapping on his window. He got up quickly so the noise wouldn't wake the rest of the house and let the owl in. It was another letter from Ginny asking for advice for quidditch practices. She had been made captain this year and was attempting to get Gryffindor back up to par. This could wait until later though and he could write back to her about the letter from the day before as well. Throwing the letter on his desk, he attempted to go back to bed for the next few hours when his door flew open.

"This is just not my day," he sighed flopping face first into his pillow.

"What are we doing today Harry? George gave me the day off since we haven't been able to hang out since the girls left and as your best friend, we need to do something," Ron smiled and sat next to Harry.

Turning his head to face Ron, Harry glared at him "You do realize I hate you right now..."

"Yeah, but you'll get over it. Now get up and get dressed because we are going to Hogsmeade! Our favorite girls do not have class today and that passage to Honeydukes was fixed by Dad. The school still doesn't know about it yet so they can get back and forth for a while," Ron continued to ramble on as Harry began to move around the room, getting ready for the day.

As they headed downstairs for breakfast, Ron was still going on, only this time he was talking about Hermione.

"R-Ron. Ron. Stop talking. It's too early," Harry said grabbing a plate and filling it with toast and sausage that Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Ron glared at him and silently grabbed some food.

As soon as breakfast was over, Harry and Ron stepped outside the back door and disapparated with a pop and reappeared on the main road of Hogsmeade. Ron immediately started talking again but Harry tuned him out. Memories came rushing back, good and bad. To one side he saw Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop and laughed. The only time he had gone there had been a complete disaster but it felt great to be able to laugh at it.

As they walked along Harry remembered talking to Ron and Hermione under the invisibility cloak in their third year and the snowy cold days of winter they had spent in this small village together. Some of the best and some of his worst memories came from this area but he was determined to not let the bad ones affect his mood today. After all, it seemed like forever since he had seen Ginny and Hermione. Ron was still going on and as they passed the Three Broomsticks, Harry heard someone calling after him.

"Harry! Harry Potter!" Harry turned to see Madam Rosmerta yelling out of the door of the Three Broomsticks, "You had better get back here and grab a drink!"

Harry smiled and backtracked, "I was of course planning on grabbing a drink from you. We just need to head up to the castle for a bit and then we will be back down."

"You boys better! Ron, it's nice to see you again!"

"You too Rosmerta and like Harry said, we will be back," Ron waved and continued to walk towards the castle while a confused Harry followed.

"How many times have you been here? Sounds like you're here all the time."

"Just a few. You know, to see Hermione and all."

"You've been here a few times since they left and you didn't mention anything. I figured if you had come to see her, you wouldn't have shut up or you know, told me."

"Thanks mate."

"Well it seems like today is the first time you have seen her since you left as you're all excited."

"Just drop it, Harry."

They walked in silence the rest of the way when out of nowhere they were swept into a massive hug. Harry's head smashed against Ron's shoulder and his mouth suddenly was full of hair which stifled his cry of pain.

"It's great ter see you both again! Hasn' been the same withou' you here! O'course Hermione an' Ginny visit bu' with all their classes, s' a wonder they find time. Wha' are you doin' here anyway?" Hagrid dropped them both.

Harry rubbed the side of his face and Ron massaged his shoulder.

"Just meeting up with the girls since this is my first day off since training began. Ron decided today would be the opportune time to come visit because they apparently don't have classes on Friday's."

"Well, come ter see me before you leave. I have ter go set up fer class. I'm allowed ter use hippogriffs this year with Kingsley as Minister so I have ter tie 'em up. See you later."

"See you Hagrid," Harry turned to Ron as Hagrid went off in the distance with a worried look, "I really hope this goes well."

"I was thinking the same thing. Come on then. We were supposed to visit the castle and head back to Honeydukes to wait for them and we have already been stopped twice."

Harry hadn't expected this walk to be so painful but he could still see explosions as he passed through the courtyard, bodies on the ground, walls crumbling. He now knew why Ginny wrote so much and was very glad he had not come back for class. He probably would not have been able to handle this as well as the girls did. He was glad that Ron passed the Great Hall without a glance because Harry wasn't sure if he could keep his composure if he went in there.

They climbed the stairs and ended up at the portrait of the Fat Lady before they realized they had no idea what the password was.

"Passw―Harry Potter! My dear boy! And Ron Weasley! It is great to see you both again! Students still walk the halls talking about you and I must say us portraits talk as well. Now, now do you have the password?" The Fat Lady waited but neither Harry nor Ron could remember Ginny or Hermione mentioning the password.

"Well, we didn't think that one through," Harry chuckled and looked at Ron who shook his head.

"I'm so sorry boys but I cannot let―BAH!"

Harry jumped about a foot back when the portrait swung open missing his face by inches. Hermione was clambering out of the portrait hole dragging a trunk.

"Ok, Ginny, you push from that side and I will..." she had glanced up and seen Ron standing there, "Ahh! Ron! Oh my goodness! We were supposed to meet you in Hogsmeade!" She abandoned her efforts with the trunk which was now blocking most of the portrait hole.

Harry peered over the top of the trunk and saw sparkling brown eyes looking at him. A large smile appeared on his face that he knew wouldn't be leaving for a while.

"Would you like some help?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Especially since my best friend abandoned me for my brother," Ginny laughed and began pushing the trunk again as Harry grabbed the handle from his side of the portrait hole. Together they managed to get the trunk out of the hole and placed it on the floor next to an embracing Ron and Hermione.

* * *

><p>Within seconds of Harry letting go of the trunk, Ginny had launched herself into his arms. It felt wonderful to be near him again especially after all of her sleepless nights and quidditch drama. While she definitely considered herself a tomboy, she had to admit she rather liked her romantic side.<p>

She felt Harry kiss the top of her head and she looked up at him with a smile. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. It was very sweet and made Ginny blush which she tried so hard to stop.

Harry backed away from her and looked down at the trunk, "Why were you both lugging a trunk through the portrait hole?"

"Oh, oh! Hermione!" She looked past Harry to see her friend still in Ron's embrace, "Nevermind. Anyway, McGonagall said we could go home this weekend since we have the best grades. She said a few privileges are in order so this was one of them!" She was on her tiptoes with excitement and couldn't wait until she could just be alone with Harry. She would also get to see her mom and perhaps they could go see George in Diagon Alley.

"You really get to come home this weekend?" Ron had spoken while looking at Hermione, "Let's get going then! We have lots to do since Harry decided to tell everyone we met we would stop by..."

"Hey, you never said anything so shut it."

Once Ginny and Harry had moved from in front of the portrait hole it swung closed and a very frustrated Fat Lady was glaring at them.

"Thank you very much for letting me gaze at that wall while you were all taking your time. Now, shoo!"

It took no time for them to get back to the Three Broomsticks. Hermione had shrunken their trunk so it was easier to carry and they had made their way to Hagrid's only to find he was already in the middle of class. He had nodded at them and they knew that he meant they would see him later. They headed back to Hogsmeade to grab a few butterbeers before returning to the Burrow.

They had just ordered and sat down at a booth in the corner when Ron checked his watch and jumped back up, "It's almost noon! I have to go do something! I'll be back in a little bit!" He squeezed practically jumped over Hermione and ran out of the door.

Ginny looked at Hermione who looked hurt and confused at the same time.

"What was that all about? Where does he have to be?" Hermione directed her questions at Harry who shrugged his shoulders.

"I really have no idea. He woke me up this morning saying we were coming to see you both, never said anything about doing anything else. Although he has been acting strangely, that is, when I actually get to see him."

Ginny giggled at this "Stranger than usual? That's saying something."

Madam Rosmerta brought their drinks over and they sat and talked for half an hour, discussing what Harry's training consisted of, quidditch and of course Hermione's schedule though she kept complaining that she wasn't sure what to do after graduation. Ginny knew what she wanted to do but she wasn't sure it was the right time to bring up that another opportunity had come along. She wanted to become an auror with Harry but McGonagall pretty much told her she would be stupid to not take this opportunity. She still needed to think about it though. When she had come to a decision she would tell everyone.

Every once in a while, she would zone out of the conversation, thinking about what her and Harry were going to do this weekend and what her mother was going to want her to do around the house. She had been worried about coming home because she wasn't sure if her mom had gone back into a slump with everyone but Harry and sometimes Ron at the house.

Almost an hour had passed since Ron had disappeared when Hermione jumped up from the table and slammed her hands on it, "Where in the hell did he go? An hour? What is that? He is supposed to be here with his friends and where is he? Not here! And none of us have any clue where he is! Well I am going to go look for him because if he apparated, I am going to have some words to say to him!"

Ginny had backed away, eyes wide when Hermione had started her rant and she knew better than to interrupt an angry Hermione. She watched as Hermione downed the rest of her second butterbeer, slammed the bottle back on the table and walked out of the Three Broomsticks.

"Well, I didn't actually expect her to leave," Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny and kissed her on the cheek, "We should probably go see if Ron is going to be ok though."

Ginny smiled and nodded her head. They said goodbye to Rosmerta, and walked outside to see Ron shaking hands with a man in front of Zonko's Joke Shop. Hermione was standing next to him and smiling so Ginny knew she had gotten over her anger. Her and Harry watched as the man walked away before going over to the couple who were now embracing in front of the shop.

Ginny heard the last bit of their exchange as they approached "...so excited! This is going to be amazing Ron!" Hermione leaned up and gave Ron a very excited kiss.

"What's so exciting guys?" asked Harry who had his arm wrapped around Ginny's waist.

"Well," Ron gestured to Zonko's "George just bought this for the Hogsmeade Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Hermione squealed with delight and Ginny found this so funny, she had to walk away from the group for a few seconds to regain her composure. Hermione had never squealed at anything before.

Ron gave Ginny a very pointed stare when she came back. "There's more. He said I am going to be managing the shop here and bought the flat above the shop for me as well. Hermione will be allowed to live with me instead of the castle." Ginny's heart fell. Her best friend would be leaving her? What was she going to do? She didn't really talk with anyone in her dorm except for Hermione and she was the only one who helped her with the nightmares. There was always Luna but that didn't really help at night.

Apparently there was more though as Ron continued yet again, "Ginny, you are also allowed to live here but that's only because so is Harry. George bought the empty bar behind Zonko's. We are going to tear down the wall between them and connect it to create a larger store. There is a flat above the other shop if you both would like to live there. Harry, I know it can't be the best time living at the Burrow with no one around most of the time. This will give us the chance to finally be on our own."

Ron was bright red and Ginny knew he was waiting for a positive reaction from both her and Harry. "I would be absolutely fine with living in the flat, mate. I need to tell George thanks for this! Ginny, what about you? "

"Oh my! I'm pretty sure mum may have a problem but it is definitely going to be easier! Especially since my roommate was going to be leaving me for my brother anyway." Ginny stuck her tongue out at Hermione who laughed. "Have you talked to McGonagall about all this?"

"Of course! Hermione would have never agreed unless she knew it was all right with every single one of her professors. You two are a few of the best students and with your experience from the war, she said we would all be okay on our own. Although, the flats are not in the best shape. They are probably going to need a lot of repair and George isn't going to pay for that."

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other and became excited for the prospect of planning their first homes together.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading! Hopefully I will have some more up soon! Please read and review! Any comments are helpful in this developing story!


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